Airplane Oxygen Masks Don't Last As Long As You'd Think

Flying is still statistically the safest form of transportation, but recent developments have caused us all to lose at least some of our confidence in air travel. After several high profile crashes and incidents, it seems many of us aren't quite so sure that flying is the best idea. One 2025 survey from AP-NORC, for instance, showed that the number of Americans who believe air travel is very or somewhat safe had declined 7% from the year prior, with 64% of respondents agreeing as opposed to 71% the previous year.

Of course, another way of looking at those figures is to say that even as our confidence in air travel decreases, the majority of us remain convinced that it's safe enough. But no matter how comfortable we might feel about it, surely every one of us has a deep-seated fear of witnessing the dreaded oxygen masks descending from the ceiling. It's one of those nightmare scenarios that might not even be as bad as it seems, but something about the sight of those masks just seems to scream absolute disaster.

If you have that particular fear, then you won't be very reassured to hear that the oxygen masks in planes don't actually have as much of a supply of air as you'd think (but at least it's clean). In fact, the masks are only required to provide enough oxygen for about as long as it takes to check into your flight.

But before you start feeling too optimistic about airplane air supplies, consider this: passenger oxygen masks will only supply oxygen for around 12 to 15 minutes. Yes, if the cabin suddenly loses pressure and everybody starts to panic, those life-saving oxygen masks will only keep you going for about a quarter of an hour. Why? Well, it's actually not quite as bad as it seems because it turns out that's just enough time for pilots to make an emergency descent.

Oxygen masks are designed to provide life-saving air when a cabin loses pressure. Airplanes will typically fly at or above 30,000 feet in order to maximize fuel efficiency and avoid bad weather and turbulence. At that height, however, the air simply doesn't contain enough oxygen for humans to breathe, which means the aircraft cabins have to be pressurized, usually to match an altitude of around 8,000 feet. If that pressure is lost at high altitude, the oxygen in the air becomes too thin. Without the minimum amount of oxygen, humans will experience hypoxia, which can cause confusion and lightheadedness, ultimately causing us to pass out within about 30 seconds. 

That means we only have a very short amount of time to put on an oxygen mask after a depressurization event — one of the main reasons airlines recommend passengers put on their masks before helping others. According to the FAA's Code of Federal Regulations, every passenger should have at least 10 minutes of oxygen on any flight above flight level 250 — which essentially means any flight that will travel 25,000 feet above the average sea level. But is 10 minutes really enough time to keep everyone safe while pilots attempt to descend to a safer altitude?

When a plane loses its pressurization, the pilots' goal is to get below 10,000 feet as quickly as possible. That's because at 10,000 feet and below there is enough oxygen in the atmosphere for humans to breathe (which is why the cabin pressure is set to match a safe 8,000 feet). When there is a loss of pressure in the cabin, pilots will immediately start rapidly descending, which may seem to passengers as if the plane is in free fall. But this is all part of the plan, as it allows the pilots to bring the plane under 10,000 feet as quickly as possible. In these situations, it's been determined that at least 10 minutes of breathable oxygen is more than enough for passengers.

In case you were worried about the pilots' ability to bring the plane back under control after a rapid descent, they actually have a separate oxygen system that provides them with a much longer supply.  Pilots require much bigger supplies of oxygen due to the fact they use their masks much more frequently. When a pilot leaves the cockpit, for example, the remaining pilot must wear their oxygen mask until their copilot returns. They're also required to wear their mask when the airplane cabin pressure is the equivalent of 10,000 feet. Oxygen masks can also improve pilots' vision at night, so there is plenty of logic behind providing pilots with a larger supply of oxygen than passengers.